JP2011124235A - Optical device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming a phosphorescent OLED (an organic light-emitting diode) including a plurality of solution treatment layers by a treatment to make the solution treatment layers insoluble. <P>SOLUTION: The method of forming an organic light-emitting diode includes a step of providing a substrate containing a first electrode for injection of charge carriers of a first type, a step of forming a charge transport layer by depositing over the substrate a charge transport material for transporting charge carriers of the first type (here, the charge transport material is soluble in a solvent), a step of changing the charge transport layer insoluble in the solvent, a step of forming an electroluminescent layer by depositing onto the charge transport layer a composition containing the solvent, a phosphorescent material and a host material, and a step of depositing over the electroluminescent layer a second electrode for injection of charge carriers of a second type. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic optical device including an insoluble organic material and a method for manufacturing the same.

  Organic semiconductors include organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) disclosed in WO 90/13148, photovoltaic devices disclosed in WO 96/16449, and light detection disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,523,555. Often used in many optical devices such as vessels.

  A typical OLED includes a substrate on which an anode (usually indium tin oxide or ITO) is supported, a cathode, and an organic electroluminescent layer between the anode and the cathode. In operation, holes are injected into the device through the anode and electrons are injected into the device through the cathode. Holes and electrons combine in the organic electroluminescent layer to form excitons, which then emit light upon radiative decay. Other layers may also be present in the OLED, such as poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) / polystyrene sulfonate (PEDT / PSS) to facilitate the injection of holes from the anode into the organic electroluminescent layer. An organic hole injection material layer can be provided between the anode and the organic electroluminescent layer.

Many types of organic light emitting materials are known. In particular, poly (p-phenylene vinylene) (published in WO 90/13148), polymers such as polyfluorene and polyphenylene, tris- (8-hydroxy) disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,539,507. There are types of materials known as low molecular weight materials such as quinoline) aluminum (Alq ₃ ), and materials known as dendrimers disclosed in WO 99/21935. While these materials are electroluminescent (ie fluorescent) by radioactive decay from the singlet state, spin statistics have determined that 75% of excitons are triplet excitons that decay non-radioactively, ie The fluorescent OLED has a low quantum efficiency of 25%. See, for example, Chem. Phys. Lett., 1993, 210, 61, Nature (London), 2001, 409, 494, Synth. Met., 2002, 125, 55 and references cited therein.

Therefore, many efforts have been made to produce light emission (phosphorescence) from triplet excitation by utilizing the spin orbit coupling effect in metal complexes in which triplet excitons decay radioactively. The metal complex is doped into the host material and receives charge and / or triplet excitons therefrom. Examples of complexes studied for this purpose are lanthanide metal chelates [Adv. Mater., 1999, 11, 1349], platinum (II) porphyrins [Nature (London), 1998, 395, 151] and tris (phenyl). Pyridine) iridium (III) (hereinafter referred to as “Ir (ppy) ₃ ”) [Appl. Phys. Lett., 1999, 75, 4; Appl. Phys. Lett., 2000, 77, 905]. A more detailed discussion of such complexes can be found in Pure Appl. Chem., 1999, 71, 2095, Materials Science & Engineering, R: Reports (2002), R 39 (5-6), 143-222 and Polymeric Materials Science. and Engineering (2000), 83, 202-203.

  Conventional phosphorescent OLEDs often include a charge transport and / or charge blocking layer that is used in combination with an electroluminescent layer to maximize device efficiency. The charge transport / blocking layer and the electroluminescent layer are usually formed sequentially by vacuum deposition of a suitable material.

Material deposition from solution, such as spin coating or ink jet printing, has advantages such as process simplification compared to vacuum evaporation. However, multilayer solution deposition is complicated by the tendency to dissolve in the solvent used for the initial casting or subsequent layers of the deposited layer. For example, US 2002/096995 discloses spin coating of ITO and PEDT / PSS substrates with an electroluminescent layer of polyvinylcarbazole doped with Ir (ppy) ₃ emitter (hereinafter referred to as “PVK”). Disclose. An electron transport material is then deposited by vacuum evaporation.

One solution to this problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-077773, where a hole transport layer of PVK is formed by spin coating from a 1,2-dichloroethane solution, followed by 9,9. -Dioctylfluorene host material / Ir (ppy) _{3 An} electroluminescent material composed of ₃ illuminant is formed by spin coating from a xylene solution. The formation of these two layers by solution processing is possible due to the low solubility of PVK in the xylene solvent used for the electroluminescent layer. This method is limited in that the material used for the first layer is selected only from materials that do not dissolve in the solvent used for the second layer.

Another solution to this problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-050482, which is a spin coat deposition of a precursor compound in which insoluble poly (phenylene vinylene) (hereinafter referred to as “PPV”) is soluble. Followed by thermal conversion of the precursor to insoluble PPV. A PVK host material / Ir (ppy) ₃ guest material is then deposited on the insoluble PPV layer. This method is also limited in that it can be applied only to insoluble compounds having soluble precursors. Furthermore, the thermal conversion required by these precursors requires compulsory conditions and produces corrosive by-products that can harm the properties of the finished equipment.

Thus, a method is provided for forming phosphorescent OLEDs by multiple layer solution deposition that is not constrained by the nature of the active material used. It is another object of the present invention to provide a phosphorescent material having improved device characteristics.
US 2002/096995 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-076673 JP 2002-050482 A

  The inventors of the present invention have discovered that phosphorescent OLEDs comprising multiple solution treatment layers can be formed by a treatment that renders the solution treatment layer insoluble.

Accordingly, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for forming an organic light emitting diode including the following steps.
1) providing a substrate comprising a first electrode for injecting a first type of charge transporter; 2) charging by depositing a charge transport material on the substrate for transporting the first type of charge transporter. A transport layer is formed. Here, the charge transport material is soluble in a solvent. 3) The charge transport layer is changed to insoluble in the solvent. 4) A composition containing a solvent, a phosphorescent material and a host material is deposited on the charge transport layer. 5) depositing a second electrode for injecting a second type of charge transporter on the electroluminescent layer

  Preferably, the first electrode is an anode, the second electrode is a cathode, the first type charge transporter is a hole, and the second type charge transporter is an electron.

  Preferably, the charge transport material is deposited from a solution. The solvent used in such a solution is the same as or different from the solvent used to deposit the electroluminescent layer.

  In one embodiment, the charge transport material comprises a crosslinkable material, and the treatment comprises heating, electromagnetic radiation, especially UV radiation, of the charge transport layer to crosslink the charge transport material.

  The inventors of the present invention surprisingly discovered that the charge transport layer can be made insoluble in the solvent even in the absence of crosslinkable groups. Accordingly, in other embodiments, the charge transport layer is substantially free of crosslinkable groups and the treatment includes heating the charge transport layer.

  Subsequent to the treatment, it is possible to dissolve the charge transport layer by forced conditions, especially when the charge transport layer is substantially free of crosslinkable groups (for example by exposure to a hot solvent and / or Soak in the solvent for a long time). In this case, the inventors of the present invention believe that the upper portion of the charge transport layer may dissolve in contact with the solvent, but at least a portion of the charge transport layer under normal conditions employed for deposition on the electroluminescent layer. Found it intact. The term insoluble is to be interpreted in this sense.

  Partial dissolution of the charge transport layer is desirable to form a mixed region between the charge transport layer and the electroluminescent layer. The range of this partial dissolution is adjusted by appropriately selecting the conditions for insolubilization of the charge transport layer. Thus, the use of crosslinkable groups typically results in the entire insolubilization of the deposited charge transport layer. Alternatively, the choice of heat treatment time and temperature for the charge transport layer substantially free of crosslinkable groups can be used to adjust the insoluble range of the deposited charge transport layer.

  Preferably, the charge transport material is a polymer.

  Preferably, the polymer comprises selectively substituted triarylamine repeat units.

ここで、各Ａｒ¹、Ａｒ²及びＡｒ³は同じか異なり、独立して選択的に置換されるアリール又はヘテロアリールを表す。ｎは０又は１である。
好ましくは、Ａｒ¹はフェニレンである。 Preferably, the triarylamine repeat unit comprises a selectively substituted first repeat unit of general formula (I).

Here, each Ar ¹ , Ar ^2, and Ar ³ is the same or different and represents independently or selectively substituted aryl or heteroaryl. n is 0 or 1.
Preferably Ar ¹ is phenylene.

Preferably Ar ² is 1,4-phenylene or 4,4′-biphenylene. When n is 0, Ar ² is preferably 1,4-phenylene, and when n is 1, Ar ² is preferably 1,4-phenylene or 4,4′-biphenylene. .

Preferably Ar ³ is phenyl. Ar ³ is preferably substituted or unsubstituted, Ar ³ is preferably C _1-20 alkyl or C _1-20 alkoxy, preferably substituted with a soluble group, more preferably selectively substituted It is.

  Preferably, the polymer is a copolymer comprising 2 or more repeating units. Preferably, one of the repeating units of such a copolymer is the first repeating unit of general formula (I). More preferably, the copolymer comprises a second repeating unit selected from optionally substituted fluorene, indenofluorene, spirofluorene and phenylene.

  Preferably, the phosphorescent material is a metal complex.

  Preferably, the host material is a host polymer.

  Preferably, the host polymer is a polymer comprising a triarylamine repeat unit as defined above, in particular a first repeat unit.

  In a second aspect, the present invention provides an organic light emitting diode obtained by the method of the first aspect of the present invention.

ここで、各Ａｒ¹、Ａｒ²及びＡｒ³は同じか異なり、独立して選択的に置換されるアリールを表し、ｎは０又は１である。 In a second aspect, the present invention sequentially provides an organic light emitting diode comprising an anode, a hole transport layer, an electroluminescent layer comprising a phosphorescent material and a host material, and a cathode. Here, the hole transport layer is a polymer containing a selectively substituted repeating unit of the general formula (I).

Here, each Ar ¹ , Ar ^2, and Ar ³ are the same or different and independently represent aryls that are selectively substituted, and n is 0 or 1.

  Preferably, the polymer comprises repeating units selected from optionally substituted fluorene, indenofluorene, spirofluorene and phenylene.

  Preferably, a hole injection layer containing a conductive organic material is disposed between the anode and the hole transport layer.

  Preferably, the phosphorescent material is a metal complex.

  In a third aspect, the present invention provides a first electrode for injecting a first type of charge transporter, a second electrode for injecting a second type of charge transporter, a phosphorescent material, and An organic light emitting diode comprising an electroluminescent layer between a first and second electrode comprising a host material, wherein a mixture of charge transport materials for transporting a first type of charge transporter, said phosphorescence The mixed layer containing the conductive material and the host material is disposed between the charge transport layer and the electroluminescent layer.

  Preferably, the mixed layer has a concentration gradient across the thickness such that the concentration of the charge transport material decreases with distance from the first electrode.

  Preferably, the first electrode is an anode, the second electrode is a cathode, and the charge transport material is a hole transport material.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention also provides a method for forming a device, the third aspect of the present invention comprising the following steps.
1) providing a substrate comprising a first electrode for injection of a first type of charge transporter 2) depositing on the substrate a charge transport material for transport of the first type of charge transporter; The charge transport material is soluble in a solvent 3) forming an electroluminescent layer by depositing a composition comprising a solvent, a phosphorescent material and a host material on the charge transport layer; and 4) a second type of charge Depositing a second electrode for transporter injection on the electroluminescent layer

  The method of the fourth aspect results in at least partial dissolution of the charge transport material upon deposition of the electroluminescent layer.

  The extent to which the charge transport material dissolves is adjusted by appropriate processing of the charge transport material according to its deposition as described above for dissolution of the charge transport layer of the first aspect of the invention.

  Preferably, the first electrode is an anode, the second electrode is a cathode, and the transport material is a hole transport material.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming a device of the third aspect of the present invention comprising the following steps.
1) providing a substrate comprising a first electrode for injection of a first type of charge transporter 2) charge for transport of solvent, phosphorescent material, host material and first type of charge transporter Depositing a composition comprising a transport material on a substrate; 3) phase-separating the composition during evaporation of the solvent so that the charge transport material moves toward the first electrode; and 4) a second type of charge. Depositing a second electrode for transporter injection on the electroluminescent layer

  The method of the fifth aspect provides a method of forming a device comprising a mixed region and / or a charge transport layer. Preferably, phase separation of the charge transport material, the electroluminescent material and the host material results in a mixed region including a concentration gradient in the thickness direction, wherein the concentration of the charge transport material decreases with distance from the first electrode. To do.

  Preferably, the first electrode is an anode, the second electrode is a cathode, and the charge transport material is a hole transport material.

  Preferably, the phosphor material and host material of the fifth aspect are constituents of the same molecule.

  Preferably, the composition is deposited on a layer of conductive organic material to be supplied on the first electrode. Preferably, the conductive organic material comprises doped poly (ethylenedioxythiophene), more preferably poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly (styrenesulfanate).

  Preferably, the charge transport material is a polymer, more preferably a polymer comprising a triarylamine repeat unit, most preferably a triarylamine repeat unit of general formula (I).

  The inventors of the present invention have discovered that phosphorescence of phosphorescent OLEDs can be quenched when the electroluminescent layer is adjacent to a low triplet energy level charge transport material.

  Accordingly, in a sixth aspect, the present invention sequentially provides a first electrode for injecting a first type of charge transporter, a first charge transport for transporting a first type of charge transporter. A first charge transport layer comprising a material; an electroluminescent layer comprising a phosphorescent material and a host material adjacent to the charge transport layer; and a second electrode for injecting a second type of charge transporter; One charge transport material provides an organic light emitting diode having a higher triplet energy level than the phosphorescent material.

  Low triplet energy level charge transport or injection materials are not preferred when adjacent to the electroluminescent layer, and such materials can maximize device performance when placed remotely from the electroluminescent layer.

  Therefore, the second charge transport layer for transporting the first type charge transporter is preferably supplied between the first electrode and the first charge transport layer.

  Similarly, providing a charge injection layer comprising a conductive organic material for injection of a first type of charge transporter away from the electroluminescent layer and quenching when these three layers are adjacent (eg, conductive organic material It is desirable to prevent quenching by the polaron band.

  Therefore, it is desirable that the conductive organic material for the injection of the first type of charge transporter is supplied between the first electrode and the first charge transport layer.

  Preferably, the conductive organic material comprises doped poly (ethylenedioxythiophene), more preferably poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly (styrenesulfanate).

  Preferred charge transport materials, host materials and electroluminescent materials of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth aspects of the invention are as described in connection with the first aspect of the invention.

  The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, an organic light emitting diode fabricated by the method of the present invention comprises a substrate 1, an indium tin oxide anode 2, an organic hole injection material layer 3, an insoluble hole transport layer 4, an electroluminescent layer 5, and A cathode 6 is included.

  Optical devices tend to be degraded by moisture and oxygen. Therefore, the substrate 1 preferably has good barrier properties to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the device. The substrate is usually glass, but other substrates can also be used, particularly when flexibility of the device is required. For example, a plastic such as US Pat. No. 6,268,695 which discloses a substrate with alternating plastic and barrier layers, or a glass and plastic laminate disclosed in EP 0 949 850.

  Although not essential, it is preferred that a layer 3 of organic hole injection material is present to facilitate hole injection from the anode into the semiconductor polymer layer. Examples of hole transport materials include PEDT / PSS disclosed in EP 0901176 and 0947123, or polyaniline disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 5,723,873 and 5798170.

  The cathode 6 is selected so that electrons are efficiently injected into the device and includes a single layer conductive material such as an aluminum layer. Alternatively, it comprises a plurality of materials, for example a plurality of metal layers such as two layers of calcium and aluminum as disclosed in WO 98/10621. For example, as in WO 00/48258, a thin layer of dielectric material such as lithium fluoride is provided between the electroluminescent layer 5 and the cathode 6 to assist in the injection of electrons.

  The device is preferably sealed with an encapsulant to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering. Suitable encapsulants are glass sheets, for example thin films with barrier properties such as alternating polymer and dielectric materials disclosed in WO 01/81649, or selected as disclosed in eg WO 01/19142 An airtight container having a desiccant.

  In practical devices, at least one electrode is translucent so that light is emitted. When the anode is transparent, it typically includes indium tin oxide. An example of a transparent cathode is disclosed in GB 2348316.

  A typical device includes an anode having a work function of 4.8 eV. Therefore, the HOMO level of the hole transport material for the hole transport layer 4 is preferably about 4.8 to 5.5 eV. Suitable hole transport materials are materials comprising small molecules, polymers and optionally substituted triarylamine units, in particular triphenylamine units, and carbazole units.

  The hole transport layer 4 can function as an electron blocking layer. When the hole transport layer 4 has a LUMO level that is shallower (ie, less active) than the host material and phosphorescent dopant, an electron blocking function is provided. In a typical device design, a suitable LUMO level for the hole transport layer 4 is about 1.6-2.3 eV.

The hole transport layer 4 also functions as an exciton blocking layer. The exciton blocking function is imparted when the hole transport layer 4 has (a) a wider HOMO-LUMO band gap and (b) a wider energy gap of T _{1 to} T ₀ than the phosphorescent dopant.

  A preferred hole transport material for the hole transport layer 4 is a polymer comprising triarylamine repeat units such as a polymer having repeat units 1-6.

ここで、Ｘ、Ｙ、Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ及びＤは、Ｈ又は置換基から独立して選択される。より好ましくは、Ｘ、Ｙ、Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ及びＤの１又は２以上は、選択的に置換される、分岐状又は直鎖状アルキル、アリール、ペルフルオロアルキル、チオアルキル、シアノ、アルコキシ、ヘテロアリール、アルキルアリール及びアリールアルキル基からなる群より独立して選択される。最も好ましくは、Ｘ、Ｙ、Ａ及びＢはＣ_1-10アルキルである。一般式１の繰返し単位が最も好ましい。

Here, X, Y, A, B, C and D are independently selected from H or a substituent. More preferably, one or more of X, Y, A, B, C and D is optionally substituted, branched or straight chain alkyl, aryl, perfluoroalkyl, thioalkyl, cyano, alkoxy, heteroaryl. , Independently selected from the group consisting of alkylaryl and arylalkyl groups. Most preferably, X, Y, A and B are C _1-10 alkyl. The repeating unit of general formula 1 is most preferred.

  These polymers can be homopolymers or copolymers. When these are copolymers, suitable co-repeat units are the fluorenes disclosed in Adv. Mater. 2000 12 (23) 1737-1750, in particular 2,7-linked 9,9-dialkylfluorenes, 9,9-diaryls. Selectively substituted arylenes such as fluorene or 9-alkyl-9-arylfluorenes, spirofluorenes such as 2,7-linked spirobifluorenes disclosed in EP 0707020, 2,7-linked indenofluorenes Or indenofluorene such as, or phenylene such as alkyl or alkoxy substituted 1,4 phenylene. Each of these repeating units can be substituted. These copolymers are particularly advantageous because they have good thin film forming ability and are easily formed by Suzuki or Yamamoto polymerization, which can control the regioregularity of the resulting polymer with high precision.

ここで、Ｒ及びＲ’は、水素又は選択的に置換されるアルキル、アルコキシ、アリール、アリールアルキル、ヘテロアリール及びヘテロアリールアルキルから独立して選択され、少なくとも１つのＲ及びＲ’は水素ではない。より好ましくは、少なくとも１つのＲ及びＲ’は選択的に置換されるＣ₁〜Ｃ₂₀アルキル基、より好ましくはＣ₄〜Ｃ₁₀アルキル基を含む。 Preferred polyfluorenes containing repeating units of general formula (II)

Wherein R and R ′ are independently selected from hydrogen or optionally substituted alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl and heteroarylalkyl, wherein at least one R and R ′ is not hydrogen . More preferably, at least one R and R ′ comprises an optionally substituted C ₁ -C ₂₀ alkyl group, more preferably a C ₄ -C ₁₀ alkyl group.

  Preferably, the first semiconducting polymer comprises a regular alternating copolymer of 1: 1 fluorene repeat units and triarylamine repeat units.

  Another suitable hole transport polymer is poly (vinyl carbazole).

  In order to avoid quenching of phosphorescence by the hole transport layer when used with high triplet energy materials such as green phosphorescent materials, the triplet energy of the polymer compared to the repeating unit of general formula (II) The hole transport polymer is selected to have repeating units that increase. Suitable repeat units of this type include non-planar repeat units and partially or fully non-conjugated repeat units.

  A non-planar repeating unit is a unit containing a twist caused by a steric interaction between a substituent of a non-planar repeating unit and a ring having a substituent capable of inducing a twist by a steric interaction between adjacent ring systems. including.

ここで、ｍは０、１又は２であり、Ｒ³は置換基であり、好ましくは選択的に置換されるアルキル、アルコキシ、アリール、アリールオキシ、ヘテロアリール又はヘテロアリールオキシ基であり、より好ましくはＣ_1-10アルキル基である。 One type of repeat unit that can produce a twist in the polymer backbone comprises a selectively substituted repeat unit of general formula (III).

Here, m is 0, 1 or 2, R ³ is a substituent, preferably an optionally substituted alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aryloxy, heteroaryl or heteroaryloxy group, more preferably Is a C _1-10 alkyl group.

The R ³ group induces twist by steric interaction with the phenyl group of the repeating unit of the general formula (III) adjacent to the phenyl group to which the R ³ group is bonded.

Alternatively, the R ³ group induces twist by steric interaction with a repeating unit adjacent to the repeating unit of the general formula (III). In this case, the R ³ group is bonded to the carbon atom adjacent to the carbon atom of the repeating unit bonded to the adjacent repeating unit.

Examples of higher triplet energy hole transport polymer moieties or fully non-conjugated repeat units are general formulas 7-10 (dashed lines indicate bonds with other repeat units). A repeating unit having an aryl group at either end is particularly advantageous because it can be easily formed from a suitable monomer by Suzuki or Yamamoto polymerization.

  Another type of higher triplet energy polymer repeat unit is a selectively substituted 3,6-linked fluorene or carbazole repeat unit.

  The hole transport material is soluble in at least some organic solvents, in particular allowing its deposition from solution and / or allowing internal mixing during the deposition of the electroluminescent layer from the solvent. After deposition, the hole transport material is treated to be insoluble.

  One suitable treatment causes crosslinking of the crosslinkable groups that are bonded or mixed into the hole transport material. Suitable crosslinkable groups include oxetanes, azides disclosed in Nature 421, 829-833, 2003, acrylates disclosed in WO 96/20253, vinyl groups disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,107,452, and Kim et al. al, Synthetic Metals 122 (2001), including ethynyl group disclosed in 363-368. Crosslinking is achieved by heat treatment or by exposure of the hole transport layer, in particular UV exposure.

  The hole transport layer can be made insoluble by a suitable insolubilization treatment even if no crosslinkable group is present inside. The hole transport layer is then stable against solution deposition of the electroluminescent layer. The inventors of the present invention (a) whether or not a PEDT / PSS layer is used (although the presence of PEDT / PSS is preferred), and (b) in air or in an atmosphere of only nitrogen. It was found that an insoluble layer was formed. However, the inventors of the present invention need to insolubilize the hole transport layer in order to maximize device characteristics, particularly by increasing the insolubility of the first layer and increasing the insolubility of the first layer. It has been discovered that it is necessary to minimize the mixing of the second layer. Without being bound by theory, the mechanism by which the solubility of the hole transport layer can be lost by the insolubilization process in the absence of crosslinkable groups is the formation of a relatively solvent impermeable surface, or And fixing to the surface of the hole transport layer after removing the solvent from the solution deposited on the hole transport layer.

  The solvent removal means includes vacuum treatment and / or heat treatment. The heat treatment is preferably performed alone or in combination with vacuum treatment. In the heat treatment, an appropriate treatment time is in the range of 5 minutes to 2 hours. The temperature of the heat treatment is preferably equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the hole transport material.

  Preferably, the hole transport layer has a thickness in the range of 10-20 nm. When a hole transport polymer is used to form the hole transport layer 4, its thickness can be varied by appropriate selection of the molecular weight (Mw) of the polymer. Thus, a Mw of 50,000 gives a thickness of 2 nm, but a Mw of about 250,000-300,000 gives a thickness of about 15-20 nm.

  The electroluminescent layer 5 is deposited directly on the hole transport layer 4 and includes a host material and a phosphorescent dopant. The host material has a higher T1 energy level than the dopant. Examples of suitable host materials are triarylamine units (eg, Shirota, J. Mater. Chem., 2000, 10,1-25), polymers containing triarylamine repeat units as disclosed above, or carbazole A small molecule containing units, especially poly (vinylcarbazole).

ここで、Ａｒ⁵は、フェニル又は次式のように選択的に置換される芳香族基であり、

及びＡｒ⁶、Ａｒ⁷、Ａｒ⁸及びＡｒ⁹は、選択的に置換される芳香族基又は複素環式芳香族基（Shi et al (Kodak) US 5,554,450. Van Slyke et al, US 5,061,569. So et al (Motorola) US 5,853,905 (1997)）。Ａｒは好ましくはビフェニルである。少なくとも２つのＡｒ⁶、Ａｒ⁷、Ａｒ⁸及びＡｒ⁹は、チオール基又は反応性不飽和炭素−炭素結合を含む基を形成するために結合される。Ａｒ⁶及びＡｒ⁷及び／又はＡｒ⁸及びＡｒ⁹基は、例えばＮがカルバゾール単位例えば次式の一部を形成するように、Ｎ含有環を形成するように選択的に結合する。

The host material also has charge transport properties. The hole transport host material is particularly preferably a selectively substituted hole transport arylamine having the general formula:

Here, Ar ⁵ is phenyl or an aromatic group that is selectively substituted as in the following formula:

And Ar ⁶ , Ar ⁷ , Ar ⁸ and Ar ⁹ are optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic groups (Shi et al (Kodak) US 5,554,450. Van Slyke et al, US 5,061,569. So et al (Motorola) US 5,853,905 (1997)). Ar is preferably biphenyl. At least two Ar ⁶ , Ar ⁷ , Ar ⁸ and Ar ⁹ are joined to form a group containing a thiol group or a reactive unsaturated carbon-carbon bond. Ar ⁶ and Ar ⁷ and / or Ar ⁸ and Ar ⁹ groups are selectively linked to form an N-containing ring, for example, such that N forms a carbazole unit, eg, part of the formula:

  The host material alternatively has electron transport properties. Examples of electron transport host materials are azole, diazole, triazole, oxadiazole, benzoxazole, benzazole and phenanthroline, each of which can be selectively substituted. Particularly preferred substituents are aryl groups, especially phenyl, oxadiazole, especially aryl-substituted oxadiazole. These host materials exist in low molecular form and are supplied as polymer repeat units, in particular as repeat units located in the polymer backbone or branched substituents from the polymer backbone. Specific examples of electron transport host materials include 3-phenyl-4- (1-naphthyl) -5-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole and 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-phenanthroline.

The host material is bipolar, i.e. it can transport holes and electrons. Suitable bipolar materials preferably contain at least two carbazole units (Shirota, J. Mater. Chem., 2000, 10, 1-25). In one preferred compound, Ar ⁶ and Ar ⁷ as described above and Ar ⁸ and Ar ⁹ are both joined to form a carbazole ring and Ar ⁵ is phenyl. Alternatively, the bipolar host material can be a material that includes a hole transport zone and an electron transport zone. An example of such a material is a polymer comprising a hole transport zone and an electron transport zone as disclosed in WO 00/55927, wherein the hole transport is a tria located in the polymer backbone. Provided by reelamine repeat units, electron transport is provided by conjugated polyfluorene chains within the polymer backbone. Alternatively, hole transport and electron transport properties are provided by branched repeat units from a conjugated or non-conjugated polymer backbone.

  Specific examples of “small molecule” host materials are 4,4′-bis (carbazol-9-yl) biphenyl known as CBP, and TCTA, Ikai et al. (Appl. Phys. Lett., 79 no. 2, 2001, 156) (4,4 ′, 4 ″ -tris (carbazol-9-yl) triphenylamine), as well as tris-4- (N-3-methyl) known as MTDATA. Triarylamines such as phenyl-N-phenyl) phenylamine.

  Homopolymers and copolymers can be used as hosts with polyarylenes that are selectively substituted for the hole transport layer, such as polyfluorenes, polyspirofluorenes, polyindenofluorenes or polyphenylenes as described above.

  Specific examples of host polymers in the prior art include, for example, poly (vinyl carbazole) disclosed in Appl. Phys. Lett. 2000, 77 (15), 2280, Synth. Met. 2001, 116, 379, Phys. Rev. B 2001, 63, 235206 and Appl. Phys. Lett. 2003, 82 (7), 1006, polyfluorenes disclosed in Adv. Mater. 1999, 11 (4), 285. N-4-vinylbenzyloxyethyl, N-methylamino) -N- (2,5-di-tert-butylphenylnaphthalimide)], J. Mater. Chem. 2003, 13, 50-55. Poly (para-phenylene), fac-tris (2-phenylpyridine) iridium (III) and 2,3,7,8 disclosed in J. Chem. Phys. (2003), 118 (6), 2853-2864 , 12, 13, 17, 18-octaethyl-21H, 23H-porphyrin platinum (II) as a host material poly [9, '-Di-n-hexyl-2,7-fluorene-alt-1,4- (2,5-di-n-hexyloxy) phenylene], Mat. Res. Symp. Spring Meeting 2003 Book of Abstracts, Heeger, There are random copolymers of dioctylfluorene and dicyano-benzene disclosed in p. 214 and AB copolymers of fluorene repeat units and phenylene repeat units disclosed in Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 708, 2002, 131.

Suitable phosphorescent dopants are metal complexes based on heavy atoms M that induce strong spin orbital coupling that allows rapid intersystem crossing and emission from triplet states.
Suitable heavy metals M include
1) lanthanide metals such as cerium, samarium, europium, terbium, dysprosium, thulium, erbium and neodymium, and 2) d-block metals, especially in two and three rows, ie element numbers 39-48 and 72-80 , Especially ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum and gold

  Suitable coordinating groups for f-block metals include carboxylic acids, 1,3-diketonates, hydroxycarboxylic acids, Schiff bases including acylphenols and oxygen or nitrogen donor systems such as iminoacyl groups. As is known, luminescent lanthanide metal complexes require a photosensitive group having a triplet energy level higher than the singlet excited state of the metal ion. Luminescence occurs from the ff transition of the metal, and the luminescent color is determined by the choice of metal. The sharp emission is usually narrow, resulting in a pure color emission that is advantageous for display applications.

ここで、Ａｒ¹⁰及びＡｒ¹¹は同じか異なり、選択的に置換されるアリール又はヘテロアリールから独立して選択される。Ｘ¹及びＹ¹は同じか異なり、炭素又は窒素から独立して選択される。Ａｒ¹⁰及びＡｒ¹¹は一緒に縮合され得る。Ｘ¹が炭素Ｙ¹が窒素であるリガンド、又はＸ¹及びＹ¹が共に窒素であるリガンドが特に好ましい。 The d block metal forms an organometallic complex with a carbon or nitrogen donor such as porphyrin or a bidentate ligand of general formula (VII).

Here, Ar ¹⁰ and Ar ¹¹ are the same or different and are independently selected from optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl. X ¹ and Y ¹ are the same or different and are independently selected from carbon or nitrogen. Ar ¹⁰ and Ar ¹¹ can be condensed together. Particularly preferred are ligands wherein X ¹ is carbon Y ¹ nitrogen, or ligands where X ¹ and Y ¹ are both nitrogen.

Examples of bidentate ligands are illustrated below.

One or both of Ar ¹⁰ and Ar ¹¹ have one or more substituents. Particularly preferred substituents are fluorine or trifluoro used in the blue shift of emission of the complexes disclosed in WO 02/45466, WO 02/44189, US 2002-117762 and US 2002-182441. Methyl, an alkyl or alkoxy group disclosed in JP 2002-324679, a carbazole used to assist hole transport to the complex when used as a luminescent material as disclosed in WO 02/81448, Of bromine, chlorine or iodine, which serve to functionalize ligands for the attachment of other groups disclosed in WO 02/68435 and EP 1245659, and metal complexes disclosed in WO 02/66552 Contains dendrons used to obtain or increase solution processability.
Other ligands suitable for use with d-block elements include diketonates, in particular acetylacetonate (acac), triarylphosphine, each optionally substituted, and pyridine.

  The concentration of the phosphorescent luminescent dopant in the host metal should be such that the thin film has a high luminous efficiency. If the concentration of the luminescent species is too high, quenching of luminescence occurs. A concentration in the range of 0.01 to 49% by weight, more preferably 0.5 to 10% by weight, most preferably 1 to 3% by weight is usually appropriate.

  The host material and the electroluminescent material are supplied as separate materials as described above. Alternatively, they are constituents of the same molecule. For example, phosphorescent metal complexes are supplied as host polymer repeat units, side chain substituents or end groups as disclosed, for example, in WO 02/31896, WO 03/001616, WO 03/18653 and European Patent 1245659. Can be done. Similarly, the small molecule host material is directly bound to the ligand of the phosphorescent metal complex.

  The phosphorescent material is typically introduced as a low concentration (1-5%) dopant in the host material. It can be seen that the solubility of the phosphorescent material in any solvent is relatively low. Alternatively, phosphorescent materials with increased solubility can be introduced. Examples of such phosphorescent materials include complexes having an alkyl group or an alkoxy group disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-324679, dendrimers disclosed in WO 02/66552, WO 02/31896, 03/001616. , WO 03/18653 and European Patent 1245659, including phosphorescent complexes supplied as repeat units, side chain substituents, or end groups of soluble polymers.

  Suitable solution processing techniques for the deposition of the hole transport layer and the electroluminescent layer include spin coating, ink jet, disclosed in EP 880303, laser transfer, flexographic printing, screen disclosed in EP 085714. Includes printing and doctor blade coat. The production of solubilizing groups as described above is particularly advantageous in changing the phosphorescent material to be more suitable for solution processing such as ink jet printing.

  Depending on the treatment, the hole transport layer may be completely insoluble or partially insoluble. When the hole transport material has substantially no crosslinkable group, the degree of insolubility varies depending on the duration and / or temperature of the heat treatment. The soluble hole transport material can be removed by washing in a suitable solvent to leave a completely insoluble layer. However, the present invention also includes the deposition of an electroluminescent layer where the first layer is only partially insolubilized and the solubilized portion is not removed. In this case, some mixing occurs between the materials of the hole transport layer and the electroluminescent layer. This is advantageous for providing an electroluminescent layer comprising a hole transport layer and some hole transport material, creating an increasing gradient of the concentration of the hole transport material moving from the cathode to the anode.

  The hole transport material, host material and phosphorescent material of the present invention are at least partially soluble in a common solvent. Suitable solvents for the deposition of the electroluminescent layer and (in the case of solution deposition) the hole transport layer will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, alkyl-, alkoxy-substituted polyarylenes such as polyfluorene, polyphenylene and polyindenofluorene are usually aromatic hydrocarbons, more preferably mono- or poly-alkylated such as toluene ethylbenzene and cyclohexylbenzene. Alternatively, it is soluble in alkoxylated benzene, polyalkylbenzenes such as xylene, trimethylbenzene and tetramethylbenzene, alkoxybenzenes such as anisole, and mixtures thereof. On the other hand, PVK is soluble in solvents such as 1,2-dichloroethane.

The above process has been found to improve the efficiency and lifetime of PLEDs. Without being bound by theory, the following factors contribute to these observed increases.
1) The first layer acts as a hole transport, electron blocking and / or excitation blocking layer when located between the anode and the second layer 2) When used as a PEDT / PSS layer, an insoluble hole transport layer is Proton penetration from the acidic PSS material into the second layer is prevented. This applies in particular when the polymer contains basic units such as amines of general formula 1-6 capable of accepting protons, or the above Het groups such as pyridyl.

  In particular, the thickness of the insoluble layer that can be achieved when cleaning the hole transport layer, which is performed to remove residual soluble material, adversely affects device characteristics due to thicker layers such as high drive voltages. Without blocking electrons from entering the PEDT / PSS hole injection layer and / or the ITO anode layer.

General Procedure The present invention is illustrated using “F8-TFB” as shown below and disclosed in WO 99/54385 as a hole transport layer.

The general procedure follows the steps below.
1) PEDT / PSS (available from HC Starck of Leverkusen, Germany as Baytron P®) deposited by spin coating on indium tin oxide supported on glass substrate (available from Applied Films, Colorado, USA) 2) Deposit a hole transport layer by spin-coating F8-TFB from a xylene solution having a concentration of 2% w / v 3) Heat the hole transport layer in an inert (nitrogen) atmosphere 4) Selectively spin-clean the substrate in xylene to remove residual soluble F8-TFB 5) Deposit an electroluminescent layer from the xylene solution by spin coating 6) As disclosed in WO 00/48258 Deposit a cathode containing a first layer of lithium fluoride (4 nm), a second layer of calcium (10 nm) and an aluminum cap layer (> 200 nM) on the electroluminescent layer 7) Saes Getters SpA Seal the device using hermetic metal enclosure available from

  Parameters within a normal process can vary. In particular, the concentration of the hole transport material is up to about 3% w / v. Alternatively, it may be as low as 0.5% w / v to provide a particularly thin film. The selective heating step is continued for a suitable length of up to about 2 hours. The selective heating step is performed at a suitable temperature up to about 2208 ° C., but preferably above the glass transition temperature of the deposited polymer. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the first and / or second polymer, and other device components such as PEDT / PSS, will experience thermal degradation if the heating temperature is excessive, thus selecting the heating temperature. Must.

Example 1
The above general procedure is performed using an electroluminescent device including:
1) 70% 9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl, 10% 9,9-diphenylfluorene-2,7-diyl, 10% “TFB” repetition disclosed in WO 02/92723 A host polymer having a composition of units and "PFB" repeat units (TFB and PFB repeat units are exemplified below). The polymer is prepared, for example, by Suzuki polymerisation as disclosed in WO 00/53656 2) Red phosphorescent dopant platinum octaethylporphine (disclosed in Nature (London), 1998, 395, 151) PtOEP)
Host material: dope ratio 98.8: 1.2

The positive charge transport layer was heat treated at 130 ° C. for 10 minutes before deposition of the electroluminescent layer.

Comparative Example 1
For comparison purposes, a device was fabricated according to Example 1 except that the hole transport layer (ie step 2-4 of the general method above) was omitted.

Example 2
A device was made according to Example 1 except that the host material to dopant was 98.0: 2.0.

Comparative Example 2
For comparison purposes, a device was fabricated according to Example 2 except that the hole transport layer (ie, steps 2-4 of the general method above) was omitted.

Example 3
The electroluminescent layer is deposited by spin coating from a chloroform solution having a CBP: ED1 ratio of 8: 2, the host material CBP and green electroluminescent dendrimer dopant ED1 disclosed in WO 02/066552 and exemplified below A device was made according to Example 1 except for.

Comparative Example 3
For comparison purposes, a device was made according to Example 3 except that the hole transport layer (ie step 2-4 of the general method above) was omitted.

  Table 1 below shows the quantum efficiency and lifetime of the inventive and comparative devices of the present invention. As can be seen, there is a very significant improvement in efficiency due to the inclusion of the hole transport layers of Examples 1 and 2. In addition, the lifetime of the red PtOEP emitter (Example 1) and the green ED1 emitter (Example 3) is improved.

Compared with Example 1 and 2, the quantum efficiency (ED1 dopant) with respect to the comparative example of Example 3 falls. Without being bound by theory, it is considered that the light emission is quenched because the band gap of the hole transport layer 4 of Example 3 is not sufficiently wide compared to the band gap of the electroluminescent material. It is believed that the increase in lifetime of Example 3 can be achieved while maintaining or exceeding the efficiency of the comparative example by using a proper bandgap material (ie, the exciton blocking layer described above).

  While the invention has been described in terms of specific exemplary embodiments, it does not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, variations, and combinations thereof are possible.

FIG. 1 shows an OLED made by the method of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Indium tin oxide anode 3 Organic hole injection layer 4 Insoluble hole transport layer 5 Electroluminescent layer 6 Cathode

Claims (11)

A method of forming an organic light emitting diode comprising the following steps:
Providing a substrate including a first electrode for injecting a first type of charge transporter;
Forming a charge transport layer by depositing on a substrate a charge transport material for transporting a first type of charge transporter, wherein the charge transport material is soluble in the first solvent;
Changing the charge transport layer to insoluble in the first solvent;
Forming an electroluminescent layer by depositing a composition comprising the first solvent, a phosphorescent material and a host polymer on the charge transport layer; and a second type of charge on the electroluminescent layer. Depositing a second electrode for transporter injection. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is an anode, the second electrode is a cathode, the first charge transporter is a hole, and the second charge transporter is an electron. Method. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport material includes a crosslinkable material, and the treatment includes heating, electron magnetron irradiation, and UV irradiation of the charge transport layer to crosslink the charge transport material. . The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the charge transport layer is substantially free of crosslinkable groups and the treatment comprises heating the charge transport layer. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charge transport layer is a polymer. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises selectively substituted triarylamine repeat units. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the triarylamine repeat unit comprises a selectively substituted repeat unit of general formula (I),

Wherein each Ar ¹ , Ar ² and Ar ³ are the same or different and represent independently and optionally substituted aryl and n is 0 or 1. 8. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the copolymer comprises repeat units selected from selectively substituted fluorene, indenofluorene, spirofluorene and phenylene. The method according to claim 1, wherein the phosphorescent material is a metal complex. The method of claim 1, wherein the host polymer comprises repeat units as defined in claim 7 or 8. An organic light-emitting diode obtained by the method according to claim 1.

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